The Top Game of the Week is a clash of top squads with perfect 3-0 league records in the Suburban East Conference — Cretin-Derham Hall and White Bear Lake.
It's early in the season, but every game is vitally important to the final conference standings, as the Bears found out last season when the Raiders won the conference with an 11-5 record, despite being matched by White Bear Lake and Roseville.
A win on Wednesday will likely go a long way in deciding a league winner in March.
The Raiders, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, are 6-1 this season, with their only loss coming against Iowa-based Dowling Catholic (71-67 on Nov. 25).
The Bears’ only two losses this season have come against current top-10 teams in Class 4A — 54-49 to No. 9 Moorhead on Saturday, and a 61-44 season-opening loss to No. 2 Eastview on Nov. 24.
In such an important game, each team will need big performances from their star players. The Raiders are banking on Frannie Hottinger to score in bunches. She tallied a season-high 31-points on Dec. 2 against Minneapolis South. The Raiders will be hoping for an encore performance on Wednesday.
Courtney Crouch has twice scored 28 points in a game this season for the No. 12-4A Bears. If she can duplicate, or better, that performance, White Bear Lake will have a good chance of being atop the Suburban East late Wednesday night.